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A tale of two political meetings

Republican incompetence was on full display at state Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham’s open house at the Vets Hall in SLO on Feb. 23. They showed disregard for the packed crowd by having no microphones, so that we couldn’t hear either the questions or the responses. Some of the outnumbered Republicans demanded that everyone sit down, though there were not nearly enough chairs. Republicans applauded Cunningham’s unintelligible remarks. Compared to town hall meetings around the country during this recess period, the crowd was civil and quite patient considering the unwelcoming situation. Reflecting the chaos of the Trump administration, inexperienced freshman legislator Cunningham referred to Gov. Jerry Brown as “Moonbeam” and made excuses for not having answers or taking stands on several issues.

In stark contrast was the meeting of the progressives at the SLO Guild Hall that same evening. Though the crowd was twice the size they had suspected, the leaders quickly opened a second room and secured an adequate though not ideal sound system. Led by SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon, the large group quickly got down to the business of planning strategies for the next election.